Achieving Gender Representation in Lead-Author Publications in the ASTRO3D Centre of Excellence

TL;DR

This study analyzes gender representation in lead-author publications within the ASTRO3D Centre, showing increased female leadership and publication rates over six years, and highlighting effective recruitment and collaboration strategies.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence that targeted recruitment and leadership strategies can significantly improve gender representation in scientific publications.

Findings

Women led 38% of publications, nearly double the field average.

In 2022, 46% of publications were led by females.

Gender representation improved within approximately five years.

Abstract

We examine the publication rates of 400 research-focused members in the ASTRO3D Centre of Excellence by gender, project, and year from January 2018 to January 2024 (six years). Of the 443 refereed publications led by ASTRO3D members, women were first-author on 38% which is nearly double that of the astronomy field in the same period (~20%). We record a high-water mark in 2022: 46% of ASTRO3D publications were led by females and 45% of research members identified as female. Using the nine research projects in ASTRO3D, we show that the combination of female leadership and higher fraction of female members correlates with a higher fraction of female-led publications. We find no correlation between the fraction of female-led publications and project size. Our findings demonstrate that gender representation in refereed publications can be achieved within ~5 years by combining evidence-based recruitment strategies with representation in supervisors and collaborations. We recommend that strategies for improving STEM participation focus on both female leadership and female representation to maximize effectiveness.